You don’t need romantic love

You can find love in unexpected places

The truth is, you can have a wonderful life without being in a romantic relationship, wonderful relationships are everywhere - whether with a friend or just a great relationship with your siblings.

Below is Gugu’s story about how she managed to find love from unexpected places…

One day my dad told my mother, my sister and I that his friend was giving away his dog to our family. He said it would be a great idea because the neighbourhood had been a bit unsafe lately and a dog would alert us if anything was going on around us. At first, I was unsure because I was afraid of dogs. When it first arrived, my sister and I were even afraid to go outside for a while. Our new dog, Nina,would come up behind me when I wasn’t expecting her. At first I was hesitant, but when I finally got the courage to stroke her,it was love at first touch! She got soo excited and started licking me. Ever since then, Nina has brought so much joy into my life!

She’s helped create a stronger bond between me and my sister. My sister and I take Nina for walks together, we wash her and play fetch with her everyday after school. Before, my sister and I didn’t talk much, I can now go to her for advice about everything from menstruation to school and the struggles I’m going through with puberty.

I used to believe that it was the dog that brought us together. The truth is, we just found ways to spend time together, and that is why we grew closer. You don’t really need a dog to bond with your sister or friend, find interesting ways to hang out and you will see how your relationship will improve.

As the extrovert in the family, my sister has also taught me how to make friends and meet more people - and my life has just been fuller and more fun.

She taught me that to make friends:

I need to reach out to people who I want to befriend

Find similar interests that we can talk about

Show that you care, and take care of each other

Since I hang out with my sister more, I also get to meet some of her friends and socialise with them. I’m even invited to a sleepover next weekend! This is really awesome, because I’ve realised the importance of having a support group and having people who you can talk to whenever you are going through experiences they can help you with. Having new friends has allowed me to get out of my shell and meet amazing

Over time, I have realised that finding love does not have to be about finding a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It is about creating bonds and relationships wherever it feels comfortable and natural to you.

Tell us more about a friend, family member or person you absolutely love in the comment section below